We Meet Again
by AMidnightSilhouette
Summary: Sequel to "Fraternizing with the Enemy". In which Sakura comes across the man everyone believed to be dead, once more.


_Author's Note:__ Hey guys! So this is the sequel/follow-up to __**Fraternizing with the Enemy**__. On the previous one-shot, one of my reviewers, SomebodyLost, inspired me to write a continuation of sorts so shout out to you. Thank you to those who favorited the last story and my other two reviewers as well, Leafstone and Tiger Priestess. If you have yet to read the prequel, I recommend you do as to avoid any bafflement. Now then, without further ado I present to you _**_We Meet Again_**_**.** Hope you like it as I truly enjoyed writing it!_

_Updated May 20, 2014 for gredits (grammar edits)_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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**We Meet Again**

...

_Is this it? No, that can't be right. Wait…_

Sakura's fingers ghost over the oval leaves of the plant she examines. The thin petals from the flowers of the plant are of warm hues in crimson, ginger, and gold.

_No, this has to be it. I haven't come across one like this yet._

With this resolve in her mind, Sakura begins to trim the plant, collecting its remnants for medicinal purposes. She places bundles of the healing plant into a woven basket she carries with her person. Upon harvesting a plentiful bounty, Sakura returns her pruning shears to her back pouch. The action is effortless but the dry heat of the sun brings her to the brink of fatigue. Sakura inwardly celebrates the completion of gathering medical plants, knowing that at last she will be able to take a break prior to her journey back to the village.

A few weeks have passed since the Akatsuki attacked Konohagakure, demolishing all of what once stood in the place Sakura knew as home—every place she spent her time in as a child, as a member of team seven, no longer stands. The thought makes Sakura furious. She realizes her grip on the handle of the basket has tightened greatly and feels the splintering wood causing her hand rough abrasion. The medic-nin abruptly stops her flow of anger, knowing full well that it is only causing her an unnecessary wound.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sakura," she mutters herself. Her mind is at war with her body as her hand refuses to loosen up, but eventually it does, complying with the words she has spoken.

Sakura sighs from stress. In truth many things have happened recently, especially with the Akatsuki. In just a year, more than half of the members have been lost. Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Itachi, Pein, Nagato. Of those seven, there are only two Sakura can easily recall. There is the ex-Suna citizen, Sasori, whom Sakura fought and almost lost her life against and the brother of her ex-teammate, also a traitor to Konoha, Itachi. Unlike Sasori, Itachi upon encountering Sakura did not go at her with killing intent, though she supposed it had something to do with the fact that she had no intention of attacking him unless she had an early death wish to fulfill.

Sakura recalls the conversation that occurred between her the former heir of the Uchiha clan that evening with ease.

"_Itachi-san, whatever happens out there, I just hope the both of you are satisfied in the end." _

Those were her final words to him that night. Less than a day after the conversation, Sasuke's mission to kill his brother was deemed a success, Sakura learned; Itachi had been pronounced dead at his hands.

Without realizing it, Sakura's facial expression becomes sullen. She can't help but feel perplexed with that evening.

"_Sakura-san. Thank you," Itachi pauses, "for not interfering. I can only hope he chooses the right path after we meet. And thank you," another pause, "for loving him through his attempt to kill you. I hope that the path he chooses includes you."_

While the words did not concern her much then, they certainly do now. What is the 'right path' Itachi has made reference to? Why would this path include her in it? Sakura is uncertain what to make of these thoughts, but feels no urgent need to push them further, for every time she does it always ends with her unable to achieve an explainable answer. It is then that Sakura realizes sweat drips from the tip of her nose.

_How long has this been going on?_

Using the back of her left hand she rubs her nose gently before dragging her palm to her damp hairline to halt the sweat from finding its way down the bridge. The sun is almost at its highest point and Sakura knows she must make haste if she is to avoid collapsing from heat exhaustion.

The pink haired girl slowly begins to navigate her way through the thick forests of the Land of Fire and opts with a path in the shadows of the trees. For minutes, all she feels is the sizzling sun emitting piercing waves of heat as the atmosphere fills with sounds from the joyous chirps of birds to the rustling of leaves as little forest animals curiously navigate the forest.

The sounds of nature around the medic sweep her into a world of fantasy as the thoughts of the day star's intense heat fade from her worries. Sakura begins to hum a little tune keeping in rhythm with nature, flicking her eyes from left to right taking care to not let her guard down. It doesn't worry her so much—the idea of being ambushed. There are only a few true threats out there in the countries and as far as Sakura is concerned, none of them have the intention of going after her.

Minutes tick by and at last the sun finds itself halfway through its journey through the day. Beads of sweat line the nape of Sakura's ivory neck. Without a doubt she is in obvious discomfort, so much so that her concentration on simple thoughts breaks every so often. Frustration is clear on the face of the medic-nin as she finds that even her garments are damp from her perspiration.

"This is ridiculous…" she whispers, knowing well that she will not be able to carry onwards without perhaps freshening up a little. To Sakura's immediate satisfaction, her ears grasp onto a faint sound of a nearby water source off her current path. Without even the slightest hesitation, what she hears becomes her goal to reach. She begins to pick up the pace she lost with the discomfort, now holding firm to the idea that she will be rewarded with it once more after this little push. Within less than five minutes, Sakura finds herself in a partial clearing with a narrow river running through. She smiles at the refreshing sight, rejoiced with the image of being clean for travel again.

Quickly Sakura strips down into her underwear. The sweat-dampened clothing once covering her figure is rinsed out in the river and set down on a nearby tree stump to dry, also the location of where she places the herb-filled basket. She then proceeds to kneel by the riverbed, scoops up water with her hands creating a makeshift cup and splashes over her face multiple times. She repeats the process on her neck as well as her hair until every inch of stickiness is no longer present. The young medic-nin switches from a kneeling stance to sitting down with her legs outstretched into the shallows of the water, continuing to scoop up water and splashing it on both her arms.

For minutes Sakura repeats the process, enjoying each and every moment of the cool water embracing her slim figure. That is all she knows she can do at the moment. Within the next few weeks, there will be no time for relaxation with the coming of the Fourth Shinobi World War. It's a stressful thought really—a thought Sakura would much rather choose not to think about at the moment. It's inevitable however as it reaps her mind now. The first time she had heard of the declaration of war was not too long after her last encounter with…

_Sasuke-kun… _

Sakura instantly loses all enjoyment in her newfound sanitation after recalling that encounter. Twice Sasuke had attempted to kill her. Both times he was just a fraction of a centimeter from truly doing so. Of course Sakura knew that she herself had her mind set on killing him first, though she inwardly knew she would be incapable of doing so because for some reason she found herself overwhelmed with her love for him. It was unfair, she thought, how she could love him so much and yet he showed her not a single care in the world.

Tears begin to fall against Sakura's will. Her bright green eyes become dull from the emotions she tries hard to overcome. Scooping up a final cup of water, she splashes it into her face. She stands up abruptly and stomps towards the tree stomp. The emotional girl slides on her black shorts followed by her apron skirt. She throws on her red shirt and pulls the zipper up. Though slightly damp, the clothing feels much better than it did only about thirty minutes prior. Her forehead protector is tied in its usual position, though her hair is still soaked. There is really nothing she can do about that though. She wipes her forearm against her eyes once more erasing any noticeable traces of tears having been shed.

"You're such an idiot, Sakura! There's no way Sasuke could ever like somebody like you—like me," she hisses self-degradingly through clenched teeth. "You'll never be strong enough. You will _never_ win his affection. You're pathetic, Sakura. You're… you're –"

"Haaah. Huh. Haaah. Huh."

_Breathing?_

"Haaah. Huh. Haaah. Huh."

Sakura's hands slide over to her kunai holster around her right thigh. The breathing is faint, but it exists nonetheless. Sakura is able to pinpoint its location without a problem. Stealthily she stalks over to a tree with a trunk roughly a meter in diameter. Within ten feet of the tree, the leg of the breathing figure becomes visible.

"Haaah." In. "Huh." Out.

The pants are of a navy color, Sakura notes. As the breathing becomes more pronounced, Sakura notices something. It sounds like that of someone who is in need of medical help. Working up the courage to proceed, Sakura does so loosening her grip on the kunai as she approaches the person who leans again the trunk.

All too quickly she is taken aback when the head of the person snaps toward her, red eyes piercing through her viridian ones. Her jaw immediately drops as she stares in disbelief, struggling to find the words she searches for.

"Y-you again?" she manages, withdrawing her kunai from her palm and sliding it back into the holster slowly. The male across from her closes his eyes for a second before flicking them open once more, revealing his two onyx orbs. The corners of his mouth begin to tug upward ever so slightly.

"Does this revelation shock you?" he asks in a curious manner, one typically never thought possible for an Uchiha. His right arm rests upon his right leg that is bent upwards while his left hand rests on his abdomen.

"Honestly, a little." Sheepishly Sakura ruffles hair with her free hand. Upon completing the thought Sakura's ears catch the excruciating cough that escapes Itachi's lips. His hand once resting on his knee covers his mouth and blood creeps through the spacing between the fingers. She notices how pale he looks since she last encountered him and immediately begins to worry. "Itachi-san, are you all right?" Sakura quickly rushes to his side and bends down next to him.

"I am fine," he responds curtly, staring at her—or attempting so at least. His vision is to the point of sever blurring and seeing double and at his weakened state he cannot bring himself to focus in on the real girl.

"Exactly why you coughed up blood then, I assume? Because that's perfectly normal for you?" Sakura moves to examine Itachi's body doing a quick scan with her eyes. In doing this, she catches sight of bloodied bandages wrapped around Itachi's left leg lying flat on the ground. "Your leg is injured. What happened?"

"I assume you are capable of figuring that out on your own, kunoichi," he responds. It registers in her mind in mere milliseconds who was capable of causing the injury to his leg.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispers, "but that was weeks ago, Itachi-san. Please let me tend to your wounds." She isn't exactly sure why she offers him aid, but something about it seems right at the moment. Itachi does not answer her, leaving her at a perplexed state. "I'll need an hour or so, but I can concoct something for your eyes, too."

_So she has figured that out, too, _he mentally notes.

Sakura takes off immediately back to the tree stump she left the herb basket lying next to. She withdraws a few remnants of the last medicinal herb harvested.

_Witch Hazel: good for external injuries and for visual healing, too, _she recalls from her teacher, Lady Tsunade.

Sakura lightly jogs over to Itachi once more.

"Itachi-san, will it be difficult for you to follow me to the riverbed?" she inquires. Itachi steadily lifts himself up and walks towards Sakura. He stumbles a little just on front of her, prompting her to help him. She quickly makes her way to his left side and moves his arm so that it goes across the back of her shoulders before placing one of her hands on his stomach and one on his back to offer utmost support. Truth be told, Itachi is bothered by how fragile and weak he has become, but being stoic he speaks nothing of it.

Upon reaching the stump, Sakura prompts Itachi to take a seat on it. Sakura opens her medical pouch searching for basic tools required to create medicinal remedies. In a small flask she gathers water and sets it alongside the tools and ingredients that she will be using. In doing all this, the look on her face seems rather perplexed but Itachi opts not to question why. Instead he allows her to continue her diligent work, paying close attention to her methods.

Within an hour Sakura has created both eye drops and an ointment for the wound on Itachi's leg and finally begins to treat the Uchiha. Her still baffled expression remains plastered on her profile.

"Something seems to be bothering you at the moment," the Uchiha prodigy remarks. Itachi's onyx eyes stare deeply into those of the kunoichi who tends to his wounds with great concentration.

"Hm?" she sounds, drifting her eyes towards Itachi's. It surprises her that he stares so intently into her viridian orbs, but she makes no obvious sign of it.

"…"

"To be quite frank, I don't understand." The words seep from Sakura's parted lips. "How? How is it that you are still alive? I was there when your comrade plant-like guy told that _Madara_ that Sasuke-kun had defeated you in battle. He said _you_ were dead. Sasuke-kun was able to _kill_ you." She takes a sharp breath. "And yet, you're here. So if you will, please tell me how come you are not dead?"

"Aa," he responds and says nothing more.

"That's all I'm going to get? An Uchiha mannerism for an answer?" she asks in disbelief. For a moment Itachi considers this before responding.

"Yes."

The answer Sakura receives upsets her a bit, but she doesn't press the question further. _Sure he must have his reasons, right?_

In the silence that follows, Sakura administers the eye drops into Itachi's eyes. They leave a momentary stinging sensation in them but it wears off fairly soon. As for the leg, after having the wound rinsed out Sakura applies the ointment quickly taking care of the infection that also led to a fever. Now Sakura's hands rest over the wound that has partially healed naturally under care most likely from Itachi himself, and uses the mystical palm technique to finish healing the damage.

"Did you fake your death or were you really not supposed to live?" Sakura asks. Itachi holds up two fingers indicating it being the second choice. "Either way your death was a lie."

"It appears I am not the only one to have 'lied' about my death," he states plainly.

"What do you mean?"

"I have noted that faking death seems to be a trend in the Uchiha clan."

"Care to elaborate for me?"

Itachi considered this for a moment in silence.

"Hn."

Immediately Sakura's façade turned into one of pure bemusement.

_Really now?_

Itachi smirks at her disappointment in his answers. The smirk is quickly wiped off his face however as he succumbs to his deadly cough once more, spitting up blood again. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and notices Sakura's worried expression as she observes him. Pushing that aside he continues to speak as if nothing ever happened.

"I am certain you know of the Uchiha Madara situation, since you referenced his name. Is that a correct assumption?" he asks.

"That is correct," she responds.

"Aa." Again he says nothing more, but Sakura is able to comprehend this piece of information regarding Madara who was said to have been killed by the First Hokage decades earlier. For a moment longer, neither says anything more before Sakura speaks up.

"Itachi-san, you'll have some scarring left from the wound. It was deep and was not tended to earlier no heal it completely. Other than that, you should be fine." Itachi says a 'thank you' before standing up, testing out his newly healed leg. He notices the immediate lack of pain from the wound, almost as if it was never there.

"Incredible," he whispers just loud enough for himself to hear as he stands, surprised at the girl's medical capabilities. After a few more seconds of standing, he finds his seat on the stump once more. Sakura smiles at him meekly.

"Tsunade-sama took me under her wing almost three years back. Of course I approached her and she accepted. My intentions were to get strong enough to protect Naruto and Sasuke-kun. I'll admit it's come in handy with Naruto quite a few times, and the village as a whole too when the Akatsuki had invaded," she says. Suddenly she is struck with a question. "Itachi-san, are you still part of the Akatsuki?"

"My affiliation with them ended the day I was killed." The response relieves Sakura as she realizes how ridiculous she was to insist healing him without knowing his stance.

"They've declared war on the five great nations."

"Is that so?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The herbs I gathered earlier today are for the medical unit during the war."

"Aa." Itachi pauses, allowing himself to think of his brother. "And what is Sasuke's current stance in this upcoming war?" Sakura's eyes drift downward at the question, seemingly concerened and slightly depressed.

"Honestly, I wish I knew. I imagine since he is under Madara's wing that is who he sides with in the war. The last time I saw him was when Shimura Danzo was killed. He was very different from my first encounter with him months back. He had this dark aura surrounding him." Sakura tries to fight back the tears once more and is luckily successful this time around. It isn't until Sakura looks up that she notices Itachi has become tense. "Up until now, what I know is that he invaded the most recent Kage summit, almost successfully killed the eight-tails Jinchuuriki, and there are people who want him dead. He almost succeeded in killing his own teammate."

"By teammate are you referring to yourself, or Naruto?"

"It wasn't either of us. Well, yes it was actually, but I mean his current team, not us… former teammates. It was this other girl with red hair. I don't remember her name, but I know she wouldn't have survived had I not healed her. He had impaled her through the chest." Sakura's voice fades out towards the end of her revelation. "Sasuke-kun actually almost killed me two more times since we last talked that day the red-haired kunoichi almost died, the day he killed Danzo, and… well that's it."

"Two times he almost killed you, you say?"

"Y-yes, but my mission was also to kill him. T-that was my own resolve actually after learning the rouble he's caused some nations. The only difference is that I could not bring myself close to actually doing so like he was able to for me. Itachi-san, he doesn't care anymore. Whatever path you hoped was the right one if your intentions were in good will is not the path he has chosen. Sasuke-kun intends to see Konohagakure destroyed beyond repair," Sakura fearfully lets out.

"I never would have truly imagined he'd side with Madara," Itachi disappointedly responds. "And I apologize that he is putting both you and Naruto down in his decision. My intentions were pure, Sakura-san. At heart I am still with Konohagakure and as I am now, I intend to assist my home country in seeking peace in this war in the little amounts of time I have left."

Sakura's eyes widen greatly as she processes his last few words.

"You said you weren't supposed to live at the end of the battle with Sasuke-kun. You've been coughing blood since I found you out here. Itachi-san, you're dying as we speak, aren't you?" She crouches next to him and looks him in the eyes. His own eyes stare deeply into hers, almost as if reading her soul before they shift away. Sakura can make out the barely audible sigh that escapes Itachi's parted lips. "How long have you been like this?"

"Long enough." Short and to the point. Sakura suddenly arises from her crouched position. She swiftly glides her hands over the eyes of the Uchiha on front of her and begins to release a stream of green chakra into them. "What are you doing?"

"Healing your eyes. I can't have you wandering around with me blind. The eye drops relieved any strain you felt, but in no means did they correct your vision. I'm repairing the bit that I can so that you can make it back to Konohagakure with me," she proclaims.

"Do you believe that is the smartest thing for you to do, for either of us?"

Sakura considers this question for a minute. She responds by shaking her head from side to side.

"Of course not, but I want to anyway and I hope you can understand why. With Tsunade-sama, there is a chance that we can prolong your life. I don't really know your story, but from what I see, you're not the enemy. You do however know much about them though. Bear with me, Itachi-san. You might just get the chance to see Sasuke-kun again if you come. You may be the one to actually bring him back. I know that a lot of what I'm saying may sound too good to be true for me at least, but what do you have to lose? You yourself said you would like to help Konohagakure while the chance stands. This may just be your chance to do so and get a chance at life again, so please, say you'll accept?"

Itachi's next words are thought out carefully as he gathers his thoughts. This girl certainly thinks crazy.

"It's a risk. Having a background in Akatsuki and as I stand in the history of Konohagakure, I will be wanted dead immediately, I'm sure you are aware. Fighting back will only give the people more reason to see me dead. Tell me, how do you plan on handling this highly plausible situation?"

"That won't happen." Itachi watches her intently, though not truly showing it, waiting for her to continue. As he does he sees a devilish smirk graces Sakura's porcelain face as the determination sets in. "Naruto and I have your back. Tsunade-sama will undoubtedly have our back which means she has your back and if Tsunade-sama has our back which has your back, the whole village will have to take your back since opposing Tsunade-sama is the dumbest thing someone could do. It's more so Naruto though. He saved the village. His trust in you is the most important of us all because of the village's newly found trust in him after saving the village." Sakura smiles at Itachi, but indeed the smile is one also towards Naruto's heroism the day of the ambush. "I'm not sure why I trust you, but something is definitely telling me to. I just don't know what it is though. I'm just asking that you trust me as much as I trust you."

"Hn." He smirks.

"Really? That's all you have to say?" _'Hn'. What does that even mean?_

"You amuse me, kunoichi." Then, it happens. He chuckles a light-hearted chuckle as the girl's enthused look slowly becomes a half-frown as she feels she is being teased. "It isn't everyday that I let someone heal my eyes. They are after all what hold the pride of the Uchiha clan." Once more his face becomes stern as he reaches a consensus with himself. "Very well, Sakura-san. I will accompany you back to the village like you ask of me."

Sakura can't help but feel satisfied as her determination awards her at long last. She nods promptly with a slight smirk, pulling her hands away from the eyes of Itachi.

"There. How do things look now?" Once again, Itachi finds himself awarded with the girl's medical prowess. Though it may only be temporary, everything is much clearer than before and the double vision recedes.

"Clear."

"That's good," she says, releasing a relieved sigh. "I was beginning to tire a bit, but it seems I was able to help." Sakura turns away, picking up the basket of medical herbs. Itachi too takes a stand by her, waiting for her to gather all supplies and return them where they belong. Sakura is close to walking off before another thought erupts in her mind. "I can't tell whether running into you today after believing you to be dead was merely coincidence or fate, but something is definitely giving me the impression that this may just be the best thing that could have happened."

"Hn."

"Is that an, 'I agree' or 'whatever'?"

"Hn."

"Gotcha."

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_Author's Note: Please leave a comment and let me know if you liked it. I know I left it at a point where it can be turned into a multi-chapter story so if you would like to see that, just tell me. I'll be willing to if there are enough supporters of the idea. It will also most likely be ItaSaku. Otherwise, it'll remain a one-shot. Thanks for reading!_


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